Posture detection for intelligent lighting accessory control

ABSTRACT

A method for intelligently controlling a lighting accessory coupled to a host device includes determining a posture of the lighting accessory, the posture being one of multiple user-selectable physical configurations; and selectively configuring a setting of an application executing on the host device based at least in part on the determined posture.

BACKGROUND

A user may have different lighting preferences when performing differenttasks in a home office or work office. For example, a user may preferdirect lighting (e.g., to illuminate the user's face) during videoconferencing and more traditional lighting (e.g., a task lamp) toperform document review tasks. Brightness and hue preferences may alsovary based on the activit(ies) the user is performing or on otherfactors, such as the time of day or weather.

SUMMARY

According to one implementation, a method for intelligently controllinga lighting accessory coupled to a host device includes determining aposture of the lighting accessory, where the posture is one of multipleuser-selectable physical configurations. The method further includesselectively configuring a setting of an application executing on thehost device based at least in part on the determined posture.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Otherimplementations are also described and recited herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing system with a lighting accessorythat is controllable by a host device to dynamically and autonomouslyadapt light output settings to compliment various differentoffice-related tasks that may be performed by a user.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example computing system that automatesvarious controls of and application and/or of a lighting accessory basedat least in part on detected changes in the posture of the lightingaccessory.

FIG. 3 illustrates still another example computing system that automatesvarious controls of an application and/or of a lighting accessory basedat least in part on detected changes in the posture of the lightingaccessory.

FIG. 4 illustrates a table illustrating exemplary settings of a videoconferencing application that are dynamically adjusted responsive tochanges in accessory posture information received from a lightingaccessory.

FIG. 5 illustrates example operations for dynamically controlling acamera from a video conferencing application responsive to detectedchanges in the posture of a lighting accessory.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example schematic of a processing device suitablefor implementing aspects of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Existing lighting solutions typically lack multi-purpose features tosuit the needs of a modern user in a home or work office environment.While traditional lighting solutions are often still desired (e.g.,table lamps for document review), modern users may also seek outlighting solutions designed to provide optimal self-illumination duringvideo conference calls. A user's lighting preferences (e.g., brightness,hue) may vary based on the task(s) that the user is performing as wellas upon other factors such as ambient light in a room, time of day,weather, etc. Manually adjusting multiple different light sources can beburdensome to a user.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing system 100 with a lightingaccessory 102 that is controllable by a host device 112 to dynamicallyand autonomously adapt light output settings to compliment variousdifferent office-related tasks that may be performed by a user. Thelighting accessory 102 includes a stand 118 that supports a light source104 that can be pivoted about an axis 106 to direct light output at aselectable angle relative to the stand 118. For example, the lightsource 104 may be rotated to have a light output substantiallyperpendicular to an underlying table to illuminate a document on a tableor to have a light output substantially parallel to the table to insteadilluminate a user's face, such as during a video call. The lightingaccessory 102 is shown to be a table-top desk lamp but may, in otherimplementations, assume a variety of other forms such as that of a floorlamp, wall-mounted lighting source, lamp that is mounted on a computermonitor or on a temporary mount of some type, etc.

Features of the lighting accessory 102 may vary in differentimplementations; however, the lighting accessory 102 includes at least asensor 108 and a microcontroller 110. The microcontroller 110 conveysoutputs of the sensor 108 to a host device 112 and dynamically andadaptively controls the lighting accessory 102 based on control signalsreceived from an application 114 executing on the host device 112. Thesensor 108 is configured to detect a physical configuration (e.g.,position, posture, orientation) of the lighting accessory 102 relativeto its real-world surroundings. For example, the sensor 108 may includeone or more orientation or tilt sensing instruments such as anaccelerometer or a gyroscope and/or one or more “switch” style sensorssuch as a hall effect sensor, read switch, or toggle switch. Thelighting accessory 102 is communicatively coupled to the host device 112by either a wired or wireless connection such that the microcontroller110 of the lighting accessory 102 can convey the measurement(s) of thesensor 108 to the host device 112. Measurements output by the sensor 108are referred to herein as measurements of “posture,” meaning that eachmeasurement of the sensor 108 is representative of a corresponding rangeor interpretation of sensor values that map to a given physicalconfiguration of the lighting accessory 102. In the example of FIG. 1,each different posture of the light source 104 corresponds to adifferent primary axis of transmission for light emitted by the lightsource 104.

The host device 112 is a processing device that is, at least oneimplementation, communicatively coupled to an external network (e.g.,the internet). The host device 112 is shown to be a laptop computer butmay assume a range of forms including without limitation that of adesktop computer, tablet, mobile phone, set-top box, gaming console,etc. In one implementation, the host device 112 executes an application114 that is adapted to receive, as an input, an accessory posture 118from the microcontroller 110 of the lighting accessory 102, where theaccessory posture 118 indicates a current posture of the light source104. For example, the application 114 may receive the accessory posture118 at regular intervals, upon request by the application 114, orresponsive to trigger event(s) that are performed by a user, such asresponsive to a user's provisioning of an input to the application 114or to the lighting accessory 102.

The application 114 may, in different implementations, serve a varietyof different functions enabled configurable settings 116 that, amongother functions, serve to control aspects of the lighting accessory 102such as power and light output (brightness, hue). In anotherimplementation, the lighting accessory 102 includes a camera (not shown)and the settings 116 of the application 114 control one or more video orimage capture settings, such as whether the camera is on or off (e.g., aprivacy mode), resolution, field-of-view, etc.

Responsive to detecting a change in the accessory posture 118 from themicrocontroller 110 of the lighting accessory 102, the application 114adaptively reconfigures one or more of the settings 116 to alter afunctionality the lighting accessory 102 and/or the application 114. Forexample, reconfiguration of one or more of the settings 116 may causethe host device 112 to transmit control signal(s) 120 to the lightingaccessory 102 that are effective to alter functionality of the lightingaccessory 102 in some way, such as to adjust brightness or hue of lightoutput or to alter a video capture control setting on a camera (e.g., ifthe lighting accessory 102 includes a camera). Alternatively,reconfiguration of the settings 116 may trigger functions of theapplication 114 that do not necessarily affect the functionality of thelighting accessory 102. For example, a detected change in the accessoryposture 118 may cause the application to initialize or ceasetransmission of live-captured video, to alter a mode of the application114, or to trigger other various control or processing actions of theapplication 114.

The integration of the lighting accessory 102 with software (e.g., theapplication 114) in the host device 112, either alone or in conjunctionwith integration of camera (video capture) controls, streamlines theuser experience by allowing the user to initialize a new activity withfewer manual actions. For example, the user may rotate the light source104 to a select position to cause the application 114 to automaticallyinitiate several different tasks—e.g., adjusting brightness and/or colorof light emitted by the rotatable light source and/or initializingcertain features or mode(s) of the application 114. In anotherimplementation, the user may cause the application 114 to startcapturing and streaming video (e.g., from a camera in the lightingaccessory 102 or in the host device 112) merely by repositioning thelight source 104 and without providing other inputs to the application114.

In addition to reducing the total number of manual actions a userperforms to accomplish certain office tasks, the herein disclosedintelligent lighting control features may also eliminate the need forthe user to have multiple different light sources dedicated to differentoffice functions, consolidating the functionality previously served bymultiple different lighting devices into a single device. Additionally,auto-implementing adjustments to brightness or hue (color) based on setconditions (e.g., user preferences, ambient light) can create help tocreate a more pleasant office ambiance for the user without burdeningthe user to make or implement decisions about such adjustments.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example computing system 200 that automatesvarious controls of an application 214 and/or of a lighting accessory202 based on detected changes in the posture of the lighting accessory202. By example and without limitation, View A of FIG. 2 illustrates thelighting accessory 202 with the light source 204 positioned according toa first posture (light output directed toward a table) at a first time(t=0) to support a first use scenario referred to herein as “passive usemode.” Passive use mode is, for example, a mode in which the lightsource 204 acts as a traditional table lamp to support tasks such asdocument review. In contrast, View B illustrates the lighting accessory202 with the light source 204 positioned according to a second posture(light directed generally toward a user sitting at or next to a tablesupporting the light source) at a subsequent time (t=1). In this secondposture, the light source 204 supports a second use scenario referred toherein as “active use mode.” Active use mode is, for example, a mode inwhich the light source 204 illuminates a user for a video conference.When positioned to support the passive use mode, as in View A, the lightsource 204 emits at least some light along a transmission axissubstantially perpendicular to an underlying surface (e.g., a table).When positioned to support active use mode (View B) the light sourceemits at least some light along a transmission axis substantiallyparallel to the underlying surface. As used herein, “substantially”encompasses a range of angles that are within +/−10 degrees of thedirection indicated.

In different implementations, the first and second postures maycorrespond to orientations different than that shown in FIG. 2. Forexample, the first posture may correspond to an angle of the lightsource 204 that is within a first defined angular range (e.g., an angleof 45 degrees or less relative to an underlying surface) while thesecond posture may correspond to angle of the light source 204 that iswithin a second defined angular range (e.g., an angle of greater than 45degrees relative to an underlying surface). In some implementations, themeasurements of the sensor 208 may be interpreted as corresponding toany one of three or more discrete, defined postural configurationssupporting modes of use in addition to in lieu of the “active use mode”and “passive use mode” described above.

The angular position (posture) of the light source 204 is measured by ansensor 208. A microcontroller 210 receives measurement values output bythe sensor 208 and, in response, transmits accessory posture information222 to the host device 212. The accessory posture information 222 may,for example, include the measurement data output by the sensor 208 orother information that is retrieved (e.g., from a look-up table) orotherwise generated based on the measurement data of the sensor 208.Responsive to receipt of the accessory posture information 222, the hostdevice 212 provides an application 214 with inputs indicative ofdetected changes in the posture of the light source 204. The application214, in turn, alters one or more camera or light control settings of thelighting accessory.

By example and without limitation, the application 214 is shown toinclude two submodules—a privacy mode selector 216 and a lighting modeselector 218. In one implementation, the privacy mode selector 216enables a “privacy mode” when the accessory posture information 222indicates that the light source has been rotated from the second posture(View B) to the first posture (View A). For example, the privacy modeselector 216 may enable privacy mode by placing an API call that causesthe host device 212 to transmit a control signal that toggles a power ofthe camera 206 from “on” to “off.” Alternatively or additionally, theprivacy mode selector 216 may enable the privacy mode by blocking theapplication 214 from exporting video to an external network, thusoptionally allowing the camera 206 to continue collecting video, such asin a “preview” display mode.

The privacy mode selector 216 may be configured to disable privacy modewhen the accessory posture information 222 is indicative of a change inthe posture of the light source 204 from the first posture (View A) tothe second posture (View B). For example, the privacy mode selector 216may disable the privacy mode by toggling power of the camera 206 from“off” to “on” or by changing a setting to permit the application 214 toresume exportation of a video stream to an external network.Automatically toggling privacy settings of the application 214 (e.g.,toggling the camera on/off) based on the accessory posture information222 provides the user with an easy way to ensure the camera is notinadvertently turned “on” to broadcast video when the user wishes forthe camera to remain off. For instance, it may be much easier for a userto visually observe the posture of the lighting accessory 202 andconfirm the camera 206 is “off” than for the user to verify the same byopening or otherwise locating one or more camera settings within a userinterface of the application 214. Reducing the complexity of “checking”the current privacy mode settings in this way may therefore help toensure that the user does not inadvertently broadcast video data attimes when the user does not desire to do so.

In contrast to the privacy mode selector 216 that controls camerasettings and or video exportation, the lighting mode selector 218controls light settings (e.g., brightness and/or hue) of the light basedon the accessory posture information 222 that is transmitted from thelighting accessory 202 to the host device 212. When, for example, theaccessory posture change information indicates that the light source 204is oriented in the first posture (e.g., as in View A), the lighting modeselector 218 may adjust lighting settings of the lighting accessory 202to selectively reconfigure a brightness and/or hue of the light source204 according to a first group of preset values. For example, suchsettings may configure the light source 204 according to a “yellow”(easy-on-the-eyes) hue and medium brightness for document review.

When, alternatively, the accessory posture change information indicatesthat the light source 204 has been rotated from the first posture (ViewA) to the second posture (View B), the lighting mode selector 218 mayadjust the settings of the lighting accessory 202 to selectivelyreconfigure a brightness and/or hue of the light source 204 according toa different group of preset values, such as values that are predefinedor user-selected for the purpose of providing optimal video conferencinglighting. For example, such settings may configure the light source 204according to a more “blue” or softer-feel hue and/or brightness thatflatters or compliments the user's appearance in video captured bycomputing system 200.

In the above example, the preset values of brightness and/or huecorresponding to each different posture of the light source 204 of thelight may, in various implementations, be default values oruser-selected values (e.g., values that depend upon user preset userpreferences). In some implementations, the lighting mode selector 218controls the light source 204 based on other inputs in addition to or inlieu of accessory posture change information. For example, the hostdevice 212 and/or lighting accessory 202 may include an ambient lightsensor (not shown) that detects ambient light levels within a room.These ambient light measurements may, in turn, be used by the lightingmode selector 218 to select a brightness and/or hue setting for thecurrently-supported use mode (active or passive), as determined by theaccessory posture information 222. In the same or anotherimplementation, the lighting mode selector 218 utilizes other externalinputs 220 to selectively configure brightness and/or hue settings ofthe light source 204. For example, the external inputs 220 may includeweather data and/or time-of-day information (e.g., both potentiallyindicative of ambient light levels) that is usable to dynamically selecthue and/or brightness settings of the light source 204 in associationwith the currently-supported use mode, as determined by the accessoryposture information 222. For example, the lighting mode selector 218 mayquery a database with the external inputs 220 (e.g., alone or inassociation with the accessory posture information) to retrieve storedrecommended values for brightness and hue of the light source 204.

FIG. 3 illustrates still another example computing system 300 thatautomates various controls of an application 314 and/or of a lightingaccessory 302 based on detected changes in the posture of the lightingaccessory 302. The lighting accessory 302 includes both a light source304 and a camera 306 positioned such that a line-of-sight of the camera306 corresponds to a primary transmission axis of the light that isoutput by the light source 304. In one implementation, the light source304 is annular in shape (e.g., a ring of LEDs) and the camera 306 ispositioned at a center of the annular shape.

Similar to FIG. 2, View A illustrates the lighting accessory 302operating in a passive use mode, with a light source 304 directing lightoutput downward, generally perpendicular to a table or underlyingsurface (not shown). View B illustrates the lighting accessory 302 at asubsequent time after a user has manually rotated a light source 304upward by 90 degrees such that emitted light is directed along an axissubstantially parallel to the underlying table. Other aspects of thelighting accessory 302 not explicitly described with respect to FIG. 2may be assumed to be the same or similar to other figures disclosedherein.

When a user manually rotates the light source 304 from the positionshown in View A to the position shown in View B, the lighting accessory302 transmits accessory posture information 322 to a host device 312.The host device 312, in turn, provides the accessory posture informationto a locally-executing application. This locally-executing applicationis, in FIG. 3 shown—by example and without limitation—to be aconferencing application 314 that dynamically reconfigures variousapplication settings that control video capture settings the camera 306and/or the light source 304 based on the received accessory postureinformation. As used herein, the term video capture settings refers tosettings that control or alter video capture such as power mode changesof a camera, changes in camera field-of-view, focus, resolution etc.

The video conferencing application 314 includes a user interface (UI)324 with conferencing settings that are dynamically adjusted responsiveto detected changes in the accessory posture information 322.Specifically, the video conferencing application includes a cameracontroller 316 and a lighting controller 318 configured to executedifferent control actions responsive to detected changes in the postureof the light source 304. Exemplary alterations in conferencing settingsof the video conferencing application 314 are discussed in greaterdetail with respect to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates a table 400 illustrating exemplary settings of avideo conferencing application that are dynamically adjusted responsiveto changes in accessory posture information received from a lightingaccessory, such as the lighting accessory 302 of FIG. 3. The lightingaccessory is manually reconfigurable by a user to assume differentphysical configurations (postures) that each correspond to differentmodes and settings of the video conferencing application. In FIG. 4, itis assumed that the lighting accessory includes at least an sensor and amicrocontroller configured to transmit detected postural changes of thelighting accessory to a host device. The lighting accessory furtherincludes a light source and a camera proximal to the light source, asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The table 400 in FIG. 4 illustrates actions that may be performed by thevideo conferencing application responsive to transitions back and forthbetween a passive use mode and an active use mode of the lightingaccessory. In the passive use mode, the light source of the lightingaccessory is directed downward at an underlying surface. In active usemode, the light source positioned to transmit light in a direction of auser (e.g., to transmit light parallel to the surface), such as toilluminate a user's face.

A top row 402 of the table 400 illustrates actions performed in anexemplary scenario in which the user rotates the light source from thepassive use mode posture to the active use mode posture. When thispostural change is detected by the lighting accessory and conveyed as aninput to the video conferencing application executing on the hostdevice, the video conferencing application 314 automatically turns onthe camera in the lighting accessory without waiting to receive furtherinput from a user. That is, the user may not need to supply any inputthrough a user interface (UI) of the video conferencing application toswitch the camera into an “on” power mode.

In one implementation where the video conferencing application issupporting an active video conferencing call at the time the lightsource posture is altered as shown (e.g., the user is initially on thecall in an audio-only mode), the postural change illustrated in the row402 causes the video conferencing application to disable a privacy modeand begin broadcasting a video stream captured by the camera. In anotherimplementation where the video conferencing application is notsupporting an active video conferencing call at the time the lightsource posture is altered as shown, the postural change illustrated inthe row 402 causes the camera to turn “on” and project captured video tothe host display in a preview mode without yet broadcasting the video toremote user devices. In this case, the user's subsequent initializationof a video conferencing call through the video conferencing applicationmay serve to initialize the external broadcast of the video stream thatis being locally projected to the host device display.

When the host device detects the above-described postural change in thelighting accessory (shown in row 402), the video conference applicationor another application executing on the host device may also takeaction(s) to selectively reconfigure settings of the lighting accessory.For example, the host device application may adjust brightness and/orcolor of the light emitted by the lighting accessory to valuespre-selected in association with the “active use mode,” such as valuesthat provide a softer or more flattering illumination of a human subjectthan other lighting settings stored in association with the passive usemode or other use modes of the lighting accessory.

A lower column 404 of the table 400 illustrates actions performed in anexemplary scenario in which the user rotates the light source from theactive use mode posture to the passive use mode posture. In oneimplementation, this postural change causes the application to enablethe privacy mode setting and stop transmitting the video stream capturedby the camera.

In some implementations, the video conferencing application includes oneor more user interface (UI) controls that allow the user to override the“privacy mode off” operation that is otherwise executed by default whenthe lighting accessory is placed in the passive posture, as shown. Forexample, the UI may have a “video on/off” button or other selectableinput option that, when selected, ensures that the camera stayson—without interrupting an ongoing video broadcast—when the cameraposture changes from “active” to “passive.” For example, this scenariomay cause the video conferencing application to enter a “documentcapture” mode in which a physical document (e.g., on the user's table ordesk) is imaged by the camera and shared in the video stream.

Although the camera power remains “on” (unchanged) when the videoconferencing application transitions between the “user capture” videomode and the “document capture” video mode, the video conferencingapplication may selectively reconfigure other video capture settingsresponsive to this mode transition, such as focus, resolution,field-of-view (zoom), etc. In any video mode of operation (e.g.,standard “user capture” or “document capture”), camera settings may beeither static, preset values or dynamically-selected values, such asvalues selected based upon dynamically-performed calibrations,user-guided controls, or other system inputs such as ambient lighting,weather, and time of day.

In either of the above-described scenarios associated with the lowercolumn 404 in the table 400 (e.g., privacy mode v. document capturemode), either the video conferencing application or another applicationof the host device may selectively reconfigure light output settings ofthe lighting accessory in association with the newly-selected mode ofuse. For example, the host device may selectively configure the lightsource according to a first set of light output settings when the videoconferencing application is operating in the “privacy mode” (e.g., wherethe light is acting as a traditional table lamp) and selectivelyreconfigure the light source according a second set of light outputsettings when the video conferencing application is operating in the“document review mode” (e.g., where the light is illuminating a physicaldocument, such as a printed article, book, table object, etc.) As inother implementations, lighting setting values within each mode of usemay be statically define or dynamically selected.

FIG. 5 illustrates example operations 500 for dynamically controlling acamera from a video conferencing application responsive to detectedchanges in the posture of a lighting accessory. The lighting accessoryis manually reconfigurable for use in different physical postures andincludes an sensor that measures an orientation indicative of adirection of light output. The lighting accessory also includes a cameraand a microcontroller that conveys information back to a host devicethat is indicative of the current posture of the lighting accessory. Thelight accessory posture is, in the following description, assumed to bethe same as the camera posture. That is, the camera is assumed to bepositioned within the lighting accessory such that light output of thelighting accessory is generally parallel to the camera's line-of-sightand object(s) within the field-of-view of the camera are illuminated bythe light.

A call initiation operation 502 initiates a video conference call, suchas in response to user-provided UI input to the video conferencingapplication. A determining operation 504 determines whether a camera ona lighting accessory is in an “active posture,” such as in the mannershown and described with respect to FIG. 2-4.

If the camera is in the active posture at the time that the videoconference call is initiated, a toggling operation 506 toggles a privacymode setting to “off,” which has the effect of initiating an externalbroadcast of a video stream captured by the camera. For example, theprivacy mode setting may toggle the power on the camera and/or toggleone or more settings governing control of an external video broadcastchannel.

With reference to operations following the toggling operation 506 on theleft side of the FIG. 5 flowchart, a determining operation 510 nextdetermines whether the camera posture has changed from the “active”posture to the “passive” posture (e.g., as shown and described withrespect to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4). If the camera posture has changed to the“passive” posture, a toggling operation 512 toggles the privacy modeback to “on,” which has the effect of halting the video broadcast (e.g.,either by turning off the camera or by preventing transmission of thecamera feed across an external broadcast communication channel). If thedetermination operation 510 determines that the camera posture has notchanged (e.g., the camera is still in the “active” posture), a nulloperation 514 takes no action and privacy mode settings remain unchangedwith video broadcast continuing.

With reference back up to the determining operation 504 and theright-hand side of the flowchart: when it is determined that the camerais not in the active posture (e.g., the camera is instead in the passiveposture), a null operation 508 takes no action and privacy mode remainsenabled with video broadcasting disabled. A determination operation 518next determines whether the camera posture has changed from the passiveposture to the active posture. If so, the toggling operation 506 togglesprivacy mode to “off” and video broadcasting begins. If not, a nulloperation 520 takes no action and privacy mode remains “on” withexternal video broadcasting disabled.

Following both the toggling operation 512 and the null operation 520above (e.g., the scenarios above where privacy mode remains enabled withthe camera broadcast disabled), a determining operation 516 determineswhether the video conferencing application has received a user interface(UI) command effective to override the privacy mode and turn the cameraon. If so, a toggling operation 518 toggles the privacy mode to “off,”which has the effect of starting the video broadcast (e.g., either byturning on the camera and/or by initializing transmission of the camerafeed across an external broadcast communication channel). In this case,the camera is on but the camera is in the passive posture where it isdirected downward toward an underlying surface rather than at the user.This configuration may, for example, be used to image a document sittingon the user's desktop surface and is also referred to herein as“document capture mode.”

FIG. 6 illustrates an example schematic of a processing device 600suitable for implementing aspects of the disclosed technology. Theprocessing device 600 may be configured to perform functionalitydescribed herein with respect to either a lighting accessory (e.g., 102in FIG. 1) or a host device (e.g., 112 in FIG. 1) that is coupled to alighting accessory. The processing device 600 includes one or moreprocessor unit(s) 602, memory 604, a display 606, and other interfaces608 (e.g., buttons). The memory 604 generally includes both volatilememory (e.g., RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory). Anoperating system 610, such as the Microsoft Windows® operating system orother operating system, resides in the memory 604 and is executed by theprocessor unit(s) 602, although it should be understood that otheroperating systems may be employed.

One or more applications 612, such as the application 114 of FIG. 1 areloaded in the memory 604 and executed on the operating system 610 by theprocessor unit(s) 602. Applications 612 may receive input from variousinput devices such as a microphone 634, input accessory 635 (e.g.,keypad, mouse, stylus, touchpad, gamepad, racing wheel, joystick), orinputs from various environmental sensors 636 such as one or morecameras, microphones, etc. The processing device 600 includes projectionoptics 632 for projecting virtual objects when operating in a virtual ormixed reality mode. The processing device 600 further includes a powersupply 616, which is powered by one or more batteries or other powersources and which provides power to other components of the processingdevice 600. The power supply 616 may also be connected to an externalpower source (not shown) that overrides or recharges the built-inbatteries or other power sources.

The processing device 600 includes one or more communicationtransceivers 630 and an antenna 638 to provide network connectivity(e.g., a mobile phone network, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®). The processingdevice 600 may also include various other components, such as apositioning system (e.g., a global positioning satellite transceiver),one or more accelerometers, one or more cameras, an audio interface(e.g., the microphone 634, an audio amplifier and speaker and/or audiojack), and storage devices 628. Other configurations may also beemployed.

The processing device 600 may include a variety of tangiblecomputer-readable storage media and intangible computer-readablecommunication signals. Tangible computer-readable storage can beembodied by any available media that can be accessed by the processingdevice 600 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile storage media,removable and non-removable storage media. Tangible computer-readablestorage media excludes intangible and transitory communications signalsand includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablestorage media implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Tangible computer-readable storage mediaincludes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CDROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticaldisk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible medium whichcan be used to store the desired information, and which can be accessedby the processing device 600. In contrast to tangible computer-readablestorage media, intangible computer-readable communication signals mayembody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modulesor other data resident in a modulated data signal, such as a carrierwave or other signal transport mechanism. The term “modulated datasignal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics setor changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, intangible communication signalsinclude wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection,and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wirelessmedia.

An example method disclosed herein includes determining a posture of alighting accessory coupled to a host device, and selectively configuringa setting of an application executing on the host device based at leastin part on the determined posture. The posture is one of multipleuser-selectable physical configurations.

According to an example method of any preceding method, the lightingaccessory includes a camera and selectively configuring the setting ofthe application further comprises selectively configuring one or morevideo capture settings.

In still another example method of any preceding method, determining theposture of the lighting accessory further comprises receiving, at thehost device, accessory posture information based at least in part on asensor measurement.

In yet still another example method of any preceding method, selectivelyconfiguring the setting of the application further comprises: selectingone or more light control settings for the lighting accessory andtransmitting a control signal to configure light output of the lightingaccessory according to the selected one or more light control settings.The light control settings include at least one of a brightness settingand a hue setting.

In still another example method of any preceding method, selectivelyconfiguring the one or more video capture settings comprises changing aprivacy mode setting of the application that controls broadcast of avideo captured by the camera between the host device and a network.

In still yet another example method of any preceding method, changingthe privacy mode setting further comprises configuring the applicationto prevent transmission of video captured by the camera across thenetwork when the determined posture indicates the lighting accessory isoriented to direct light output in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to a surface supporting the lighting accessory.

In still yet another example method of any preceding method, changingthe privacy setting further comprises configuring the application totransmit video captured by the camera across the network when thedetected posture indicates the lighting accessory is oriented to directlight output in a direction substantially parallel to the surfacesupporting the lighting accessory.

An example system disclosed herein includes a host device coupled to alighting accessory. The host device is configured to receive an inputindicative of a posture of the lighting accessory, where the posture isof multiple user-selectable physical configurations. The host device isfurther configured to selectively configure a setting of an applicationbased at least in part on the posture of the lighting accessory.

In yet still another example system of any preceding system, thelighting accessory includes a camera and the host device selectivelyconfigures one or more video capture settings based at least in part onthe posture of the lighting accessory.

In still another example system of any preceding system, the inputreceived at the host device is based at least in part on a sensormeasurement.

In yet still another example system of any preceding system, the hostdevice selectively configures the setting of the application byselecting one or more light control settings for the lighting accessory,and by transmitting a control signal to configure light output of thelighting accessory according to the selected one or more light controlsettings. The light control settings include at least one of abrightness setting and a hue setting,

In still another example system of any preceding system, the host devicechanges a privacy mode setting of the application. The privacy modesetting controls broadcast of a video stream captured by the camerabetween the host device and a network.

In yet still another example system of any preceding system, the hostdevice changes the privacy mode setting by configuring the applicationto prevent transmission of video captured by the camera across thenetwork when the determined posture indicates the lighting accessory isoriented to direct light output in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to a surface supporting the lighting accessory.

In still another example system of any preceding system, the host devicechanges the privacy mode setting by configuring the application totransmit video captured by the camera across the network when thedetected posture indicates the lighting accessory is oriented to directlight output in a direction substantially parallel to surface supportingthe lighting accessory.

In an example tangible computer-readable storage media disclosed herein,an encoded computer process comprises determining a posture of alighting accessory coupled to a host device and selectively configuringa setting of an application executing on the host device based at leastin part on the determined posture. The posture is one of multipleuser-selectable physical configurations.

In another example tangible computer-readable storage media of anypreceding computer-readable storage media, the lighting accessorycommunicated with via the computer process includes a camera.Selectively configuring the setting of the application further comprisesselectively configuring one or more video capture settings.

In an example computer process encoded by any precedingcomputer-readable storage media, determining the posture of the lightingaccessory further comprises receiving, at the host device, accessoryposture information based at least in part on a sensor measurement.

In an example computer process encoded by any precedingcomputer-readable storage media, selectively configuring the setting ofthe application further comprises selecting one or more light controlsettings for the lighting accessory and transmitting a control signal toconfigure light output of the lighting accessory according to theselected one or more light control settings. The light control settingsinclude at least one of a brightness setting and a hue setting.

In an example computer process encoded by any precedingcomputer-readable storage media, selectively configuring the one or morevideo capture settings comprises changing a privacy mode setting of theapplication. The privacy mode setting controls broadcast of a videocaptured by the camera between the host device and a network.

In another example tangible computer-readable storage media of anypreceding computer-readable storage media, the computer process furthercomprises configuring the application to prevent transmission of videocaptured by the camera across the network when the determined postureindicates the lighting accessory is oriented to direct light output in adirection substantially perpendicular to a surface supporting thelighting accessory, and configuring the application to transmit videocaptured by the camera across the network when the detected postureindicates the lighting accessory is oriented to direct light output in adirection substantially parallel to the surface supporting the lightingaccessory.

An example system disclosed herein includes a means for determining aposture of a lighting accessory coupled to a host device and a means forselectively configuring a setting of an application executing on thehost device based at least in part on the determined posture. Theposture is one of multiple user-selectable physical configurations.

The implementations described herein are implemented as logical steps inone or more computer systems. The logical operations may be implemented(1) as a sequence of processor-implemented steps executing in one ormore computer systems and (2) as interconnected machine or circuitmodules within one or more computer systems. The implementation is amatter of choice, dependent on the performance requirements of thecomputer system being utilized. Accordingly, the logical operationsmaking up the implementations described herein are referred to variouslyas operations, steps, objects, or modules. Furthermore, it should beunderstood that logical operations may be performed in any order, unlessexplicitly claimed otherwise or a specific order is inherentlynecessitated by the claim language. The above specification, examples,and data, together with the attached appendix, provide a completedescription of the structure and use of exemplary implementations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining a posture of alighting accessory coupled to a host device, the posture being one ofmultiple user-selectable physical configurations; and selectivelyconfiguring a video capture setting of a video broadcasting applicationexecuting on the host device based at least in part on the determinedposture.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the posture ofthe lighting accessory further comprises: receiving, at the host device,accessory posture information based at least in part on a sensormeasurement.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method furthercomprises: selecting one or more light control settings for the lightingaccessory based at least in part on the determined posture, the lightcontrol settings including at least one of a brightness setting and ahue setting; and transmitting a control signal to configure light outputof the lighting accessory according to the selected one or more lightcontrol settings.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein selectivelyconfiguring the video capture setting comprises: changing a privacy modesetting of the application, the privacy mode setting controllingbroadcast of a video captured by a camera between the host device and anetwork.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein changing the privacy modesetting further comprises: configuring the video broadcastingapplication to prevent transmission of video captured by the cameraacross the network when the determined posture indicates the lightingaccessory is oriented to direct light output in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to a surface supporting the lightingaccessory.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the privacysetting further comprises: configuring the video broadcastingapplication to transmit video captured by the camera across the networkwhen the determined posture indicates the lighting accessory is orientedto direct light output in a direction substantially parallel to thesurface supporting the lighting accessory.
 7. A system comprising: ahost device coupled to a lighting accessory, the host device beingconfigured to: receive an input indicative of a posture of the lightingaccessory, the posture being one of multiple user-selectable physicalconfigurations; and selectively configure a video capture setting of avideo broadcasting application based at least in part on the posture ofthe lighting accessory.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the lightingaccessory includes a camera.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the hostdevice changes a privacy mode setting of the video capture application,the privacy mode setting controlling broadcast of a video streamcaptured by the camera between the host device and a network.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the host device changes the privacy modesetting by configuring the video capture application to preventtransmission of video captured by the camera across the network when theposture indicates the lighting accessory is oriented to direct lightoutput in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surfacesupporting the lighting accessory.
 11. The system of claim 9, whereinthe host device changes the privacy mode setting by configuring thevideo capture application to transmit video captured by the cameraacross the network when the detected posture indicates the lightingaccessory is oriented to direct light output in a directionsubstantially parallel to surface supporting the lighting accessory. 12.The system of claim 7, wherein the input received at the host device isbased at least in part on a sensor measurement.
 13. The system of claim7, wherein the host device selectively configures the setting of thevideo broadcasting application by: selecting one or more light controlsettings for the lighting accessory, the light control settingsincluding at least one of a brightness setting and a hue setting; andtransmitting a control signal to configure light output of the lightingaccessory according to the selected one or more light control settings.14. One or more tangible computer-readable storage media implementingcomputer-executable instructions for executing a computer process, thecomputer process comprising: determining a posture of a lightingaccessory coupled to a host device, the posture being one of multipleuser-selectable physical configurations; and selectively configuring avideo capture setting of a video broadcasting application executing onthe host device based at least in part on the determined posture. 15.The one or more tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 14,wherein the lighting accessory includes a camera.
 16. The one or moretangible computer-readable storage media of claim 14, whereindetermining the posture of the lighting accessory further comprises:receiving, at the host device, accessory posture information based atleast in part on a sensor measurement.
 17. The one or more tangiblecomputer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein selectivelyconfiguring the video capture setting of the video broadcastingapplication further comprises: selecting one or more light controlsettings for the lighting accessory, the light control settingsincluding at least one of a brightness setting and a hue setting; andtransmitting a control signal to configure light output of the lightingaccessory according to the selected one or more light control settings.18. The one or more tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 4,wherein selectively configuring the video capture setting comprises:changing a privacy mode setting of the video broadcasting application,the privacy mode setting controlling broadcast of a video captured bythe camera between the host device and a network.
 19. The one or moretangible computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein changingthe privacy mode setting further comprises: configuring the videobroadcasting application to prevent transmission of video captured bythe camera across the network when the determined posture indicates thelighting accessory is oriented to direct light output in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to a surface supporting the lightingaccessory; and configuring the video broadcasting application totransmit video captured by the camera across the network when thedetected posture indicates the lighting accessory is oriented to directlight output in a direction substantially parallel to the surfacesupporting the lighting accessory.